Braisd

We had a rare, adults only dinner party the other night and I spent most of the week trying to figure out what I was going to make.  Something that could be made ahead of time so I could enjoy cocktail hour--very important.  It also had to be something that I wouldn't necessarily make for a bunch of kids and had a bit of a "wow" factor when served at the table.  I finally decided on a recipe from this month's Bon Appetit--the Bison and Red Wine Shepherd's Pie (page 70).  I couldn't find bison short ribs so I substituted with grass-fed beef short ribs and I've changed some of the cooking times.  

I'm not gonna lie and tell you that you can whip this up in a flash.  It is definitely a labor of love--you have to braise the short ribs for a few hours, take the ribs out of the pot, cut up the meat, reduce the sauce and add then some other things to the sauce before you put the meat back in (check out the photos--shepherd's pie de-constructed).  All this, while you whip up some mash potatoes for the topping.  But, the great thing is, you can make this dish the night before--the whole thing (mashed potatoes and all) can be covered with plastic and put in the refrigerator overnight.  So, although you'll know that you worked hard, your guests don't have to see you sweat.  Plus, I had some leftovers the next day and the kids loved it!

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 1/2 pounds bison or beef short ribs

1/3 lb rindless slab bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices (available at Vicente Foods)

2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil

1 cup chopped onion (1 onion)

1/2 cup peeled chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups dry red wine (such as Syrah)

2 2/3 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

10 ounces frozen petit onions

1 1/2 cups 3/4 inch cubes peeled parsnips*

12 baby turnips, trimmed, peeled (can be substituted with 3 regular turnips, quartered)*

*I happen to love parsnips and turnips and I thought they added a nice sweetness and textural variety to this dish.  But if you're not a big fan, you can omit the turnips and substitute carrots for the parsnips.

2 to 2 1/4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

3/4 cup whole mil

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl.  Add bison, toss.  Heat large pot over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until crisp.  Transfer to paper towels.  Add 2 tablespoons oil to pot; increase heat to medium-high.  Working in batches, cook meat until browned, adding more oil by tablespoonfuls as needed.  Return to same bowl with the flour mixture.  Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to pot; cover and cook until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add wine; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.  Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, sage, reserved bacon and meat.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover; simmer until meat is tender, stirring occasionally.  The recipe suggested 2 hours for the bison and 1 1/2 hours for the beef.  I found that it took 3 hours for the beef short ribs to get tender.  I would start checking at 2 hours and take the meat out when it is fork tender.  

Transfer meat to rimmed baking sheet.  Cut meat off bones; cut meat into 3/4 inch cubes (remove fattiest pieces).  If it looks like there is a lot of liquid, put on high heat and reduce--I did this for about 20 minutes, just so the shepherd's pie wouldn't be so watery and the sauce would be thicker.  Lower heat, add parsnips and turnips to pot with meat sauce.  Simmer until tender (when you can cut the parsnips and turnips with a fork), stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes.  Add petit onions; cook 10 minutes.  Return meat to pot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling lightly salted water until tender, 18-20 minutes.   Timing-wise, you can get the water boiling once you add the parsnips and turnips to the meat sauce and put the potatoes in after the sauce is done, so you're not multi-tasking too much.  Drain.  Heat milk, butter, and cream in medium saucepan until almost boiling.  Rice potatoes into large mixing bowl (I love using a ricer for my mashed potatoes--it makes the whole thing come out fluffier and creamier-- definitely worth investing in a ricer if you like your mashed potatoes); add milk mixture, 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and whisk until smooth and slightly cooled, about 2 minutes (you definitely want to wait the two minutes, because of the next step--don't want to cook the egg).  Whisk in egg.  

Preheat oven to 400.  Spoon meat filling into 3 quart (13x9x2 inch) baking dish.  Spoon mashed potatoes over; smooth top to cover completely.

Beat egg and 1 tablespoon water to blend.  Brush over potatoes, then sprinkle cheese all over.  

The whole thing (including garnish) can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover and chill.

Bake pie until top is browned and filling is heated through, 30 to 40 minutes (50-60 minutes if chilled).  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with a bottle of 2008 Saldo (delicious, by the way) and enjoy.